Ask for a pillow and blanket to help get through a long flight and you may be
out of luck. Or you may be able to buy a "comfort package" from Air Canada for
$2. Like to check your luggage curbside? That could cost up to $3 a bag.
Airlines are starting to charge for many services that once were free ¡ª such
as assigned seating, paper tickets and blankets. Air travelers who don't fly
often may be in for some unpleasant surprises when they reach the airport this
summer.
"They're going to be confused and they're going to be somewhat upset," said
Kevin Mitchell, president of the Business Travelers Coalition. "Is it going to
stop them from flying? No."
Intense competition from low-fare airlines along with high jet-fuel prices
have led many established carriers to cut back or charge passengers for
amenities.
Many airlines no longer serve meals on flights, instead charging for snack
boxes and sandwiches.
Sharon Ansara, a government supervisor from El Paso, Texas, flew an American
Airlines flight from Dallas to Washington Monday morning.
"We didn't even get peanuts," she said after the 2-1/2 hour flight. "They
offered us a snack pack for $4. It stinks."
American spokesman Tim Wagner said that passengers have made it clear that
their first priority in buying an airline ticket is price. The company offers a
la carte services ¡ª such as snack packs ¡ª for those willing to pay for them.
Air Canada, which recently emerged from bankruptcy, decided against
eliminating pillows and blankets, as some airlines have done. Instead, the
airline decided to give passengers the choice of buying an inflatable pillow and
a light fleece blanket for $2, according to spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur.
There are limits to what passengers will pay for.
American Eagle, which flies commuter flights for American, experimented in
January with charging passengers for soft drinks.
"They evaluated customer response," Wagner said. "The customer response was,
'No, we don't want to pay $1 for a soft drink.'" The test ended, he said.
Some services once taken for granted are now viewed as amenities as the
burden of ticketing now falls on the passenger with the home computer instead of
airline employees.
Talking to an airline reservation agent instead of booking a ticket on the
Internet will add $5 or $10 to the price of a ticket. A paper ticket instead of
a computer-generated one will cost $20 or $30 for a domestic flight.